National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill

Recent news has highlighted the pivotal bill introduced in the Monsoon Session – the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill 2023.

Highlights

Establishment

• National Nursing and Midwifery Commission
  A significant establishment to take center stage in nursing and midwifery affairs.
• Autonomous Boards
  Independent entities functioning under the aegis of the main Commission.
• State Nursing and Midwifery Commission
  State-level counterparts to ensure decentralization of authority.
• Nursing and Midwifery Advisory Council
  • A council formulated to replace the Indian Nursing Council.

Repealing Indian Nursing Council Act, 1947

National Nursing and Midwifery Commission

• Establishment
  • Based in Delhi as the central governing body.
• Composition
  • Chairperson: Central leadership figure.
  • Ex-officio Members: 16 in number.
  • Members: 12 in number, representing various facets of the profession.
• Roles
  • Policies and Standards Framing: Relating to midwifery, nursing education including:
    • Faculty standards
    • Assessment mechanisms
    • Instructional methods
    • Admissions into institutes
    • Exam structures
    • Research guidelines
    • Tuition fee categories for professional education
  • Regulation: Governing institutions, research, and professional standards.
  • Ensuring Competence: Establishing a national register and conducting a final year undergraduate exam to grant licenses.
  • Integration: Of soft skills and elective courses in the curriculum.
  • Collaboration: With industry partners for research and innovation.
  • Assessment: Of nursing and midwifery requirements in healthcare fields, focusing on career opportunities and the roles of professionals and associates. copyright©iasexpress.net
  • Guidelines and Coordination: Among National Commission, Advisory Council, Autonomous boards, and State Commissions.
• Terms of Service
  The Chairman, Secretary, and members are limited to a maximum term of four years and an age limit of sixty-five years.

Centre’s Empowerment

Autonomous Boards

• Nursing and Midwifery Undergraduate and Postgraduate Education Board
  • Setting standards for education, and exams at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
  • Making decisions regarding the institutions’ infrastructure, faculty quality, and education quality.
  • Instituting norms for mandatory annual disclosures and scope of practice for registered professionals.
• Nursing and Midwifery Assessment and Rating Board
  • Procedures to assess and rate nursing institutions.
  • Granting permissions for setting up new institutions and conducting inspections.
  • Powers to issue warnings, impose penalties, or regulate admissions.
• Nursing and Midwifery Ethics and Registration Board
  • Maintaining a national register.
  • Powers to approve or reject registration applications.
  • Regulation of professional ethics and conduct.

State Provisions

State Nursing and Midwifery Commission

• Establishment: Within a year of the law’s enactment.
• Roles: Enforcing professional ethics, ensuring educational standards, maintaining state registers, and facilitating admissions counseling.

Centre’s Provision

Nursing and Midwifery Advisory Council

• Function: Primary platform for states to voice concerns.
• Role: Advising the National Commission on maintaining standards in nursing and midwifery education, services, and research. copyright©iasexpress.net

Significance

The bill has sparked protests in Kerala and Maharashtra, emphasizing the contention between the center and states over nursing education and employment authority.

Facts

• The Central government will have increased power with most members of the National Commission for Nursing and Midwifery being Union Health and Defence Ministry employees.
• The Indian Nursing Council had a diverse composition from various medical and nursing sectors.
• The new National and State Commission will mainly comprise government employees with the scope of electing members eliminated.
• The Council’s previous roles involved recognizing qualifications, inspecting institutions, and framing regulations. These responsibilities are now under the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Act’s purview.